The present invention relates to methods of anchoring safety restraint systems in all types of vehicles and in particular in conventional passenger automobiles.
Many conventional safety restraint systems have seat and shoulder harness belts retractably secured on one side of the vehicle seat passing over the occupant and being secured to a buckle on the opposing side of the seat which in turn is secured to the floor of the vehicle. It has been found to be particularly desirable to locate the buckle in a fixed relation as to the vehicle and at a location adjacent the seat occupant's hip in order to assure drawing the restraint systems lap and chest belts fully across the occupant. In automobiles with adjustable seats that may be adjusted fore and aft in the vehicle, a problem occurs where the buckle is secured to the floor in that as the seat is moved fore and aft, the buckle remains fixed to the floor of the vehicle and its relative position to a seat occupant's hip is changed. With the buckle changing positions relative to the seal occupant during seat adjustment, the seat occupant has to search for the buckle before releasing it or engaging it.
It would be preferred to have the buckle mounted on the seat thereby ensuring that the buckle does not change its position relative to the seat as it is adjusted fore and aft. By securing the buckle only to the seat, however, the safety advantages of having the buckle secured to the floor are no longer provided. It would, therefore, be desirable to have a buckle anchor which is secured to the seat for normal operation of the safety restraint system and additionally secured to the floor of the vehicle during the application of an emergency restraining force to the safety restraint system.